From Iceland to Six Continents: How a Drone Device for Whale Research Grew Into a Global Tool

• A few months ago, a lightweight sensor system lifted off above a pod of humpback whales off the Icelandic coast, attached to a drone and designed around one straightforward premise: make marine mammal measurement faster, safer, and accessible without the logistical burden that typically slows field science down. That system was WHASER, developed by UK-based…

A few months ago, a lightweight sensor system lifted off above a pod of humpback whales off the Icelandic coast, attached to a drone and designed around one straightforward premise: make marine mammal measurement faster, safer, and accessible without the logistical burden that typically slows field science down. That system was WHASER, developed by UK-based R&D agency Tandem Ventures in partnership with Bambu Lab, whose 3D printing technology enabled the team to design, print, test, and integrate changes in days rather than weeks, moving components directly from development into deployment without treating the two as separate manufacturing stages. Over several months, WHASER collected biometric data on more than 115 humpback whales. Results confirmed the concept’s viability, and demand f